1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a method and an apparatus for the unwinding and simultaneous turning of bands or the like from a feed reel having a vertical axis of rotation. This invention also relates to an apparatus in which a vertically revolving reel is rotated on a turntable and means are provided for moving unwound band material horizontally at the same rate at which they are removed from the reel while lying in a vertical plane.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Feed reels whose purpose is to unwind reeled material in band form are already known. If coils of band material which are light in weight are involved, the material can be fed directly into the band fabricating machine, e.g., through feed rollers. It is difficult, however when larger reels weighing about 0.4 to 2.5 metric tons must be handled. In order to accelerate these weights and feed the band smoothly into the fabricating machine special measures are necessary.
As a rule such unwinding reels are constructed with a horizontal axis of rotation, which has the disadvantage that, in the case of an overhung mounting of the reel, the mounting must be of very strong construction, and furthermore covers or the like must be provided to prevent the material from running off laterally. Also, the pact of material must be biased inwardly by expensive means.
It is also known to construct the unwinding reel with a vertical axis of rotation and to lay the heavy reels of material on the flat turntable. Such reels are simpler and hence less expensive to construct and also easier to load. However, they have the disadvantage that the band is unwound in a vertical position from the reel, whereas most band fabricating machines are able to work the band only in the horizontal position. The band must therefore be twisted 90.degree. before it enters into the fabricating machine.
A method and an apparatus has been disclosed by German Offenlegungsschrift 2,125,069 for winding a band of plastic on a spool, in which the plastic band is unwound from a reel having a horizontal axis of rotation and, after repeated passing around pulleys, situated laterally of the reel but still in the plane of the reel, it is twisted 90.degree.. Aside from the fact that this known system has an unwinding reel with a horizontal axis of rotation and hence all of the above described disadvantages, it requires on the one hand a plurality of pulleys and guides as well as an expensive tensioning mechanism, and, on the other hand, it requires a very great amount of space in breadth and in length, which often is not available at the point of entry to the fabricating machine.
It is an object of this invention, therefore, to provide a method and apparatus for the unwinding and twisting of bands or the like from unwinding reel having a vertical axis of rotation. It is a further object of this invention to provide such an apparatus which does not entail substantial expenditure nor utilize an excessive amount of floor space. It is particularly an object of the present invention to provide such an apparatus which can be constructed at little expenditure and which consumes only a minor amount of floor space.